


Buttercup

by tajn



Series: Curses and Bonds [1]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: ??? - Freeform, Comedy, Curses, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Pet Names, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Soft Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Spells & Enchantments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-22 13:07:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22249966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tajn/pseuds/tajn
Summary: Jaskier is once again the catalyst of Geralt's poor luck. But this time no one gets hurt or dies- well maybe Geralt's dignity gets slightly bruised.ORGeralt gets hit by some magic that forces him to call Jaskier everything but his name.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Curses and Bonds [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604272
Comments: 34
Kudos: 2026





	Buttercup

Jaskier was not accustomed to the nature of curses. The closest thing- granted outside of his ballads- was the djinn's curse. And Jaskier had been unconscious for most of that ordel. Nonetheless, He did have an idea that something strange had happened to Geralt since earlier in the day. Of course, it had been Jaskier who had started the entire mess.

~_~_~

“Come on,” Jaskier complained as he followed behind Geralt and Roach. The trio had been traveling over a week with no sight of other people. And the bard had grown both bored and exhausted. “I’m weary. Let’s find a town so we can make some coin dear Witcher.”

“Don’t call me that.” Geralt didn’t even mind the bard a glance as he gave Roach a soothing pat.

“Wolfie?” Jaskier tried. Energy renewed at the idea of teasing his travel companion.

“Jaskier.” Geralt warned.

“Fine,” Jaskier said with a cheeky look before adding, “Darling.”

“Do you like your tongue in your head,”

“I can think it better places,” Jaskier said lewdly before jumping away from Geralt’s half hearted kick. Jaskier smiled at the thought that over the years of traveling, he had somehow warmed the witcher’s numbed heart. And that there was a sense of comradery between them at times.

A few hours passed, and Jaskier saw the dim lights of civilization. Picking up speed, Jaskier nearly ran towards the lights. But the time the stores were in sight, Jaskier felt the lute heavy on his shoulder as he walked through the dreary town. The idea of having a bed to rest on was glorious, but calling this place a town was giving it too much credit. It really was just a couple of sad looking shops and an Inn that shared the same span of road. Although Jaskier could see several dirt paths, barely enough for a horse to fit, that wound themselves in through the trees. It looked as if a fog set it, the town would just disappear.

It only took a few paces before they were stopped. Although it was not the usual craggy looking man in need of a monster slaying witcher. This time their paths crossed with a young girl. “Who are you two?” The young girl’s asked eyes wide. Her hair was matted brown and her muddy torn clothes clung to her frame. Fate had not been kind to this child. Yet her eyes shone an excited blue as they bounced between Geralt and Jaskier.

“No one,” Geralt huffed already walking towards the dingy pub and Inn at the end of the road.

“A bard and his Witcher,” Jaskier said kneeling to eye level. He saw a reflection of his past in the young girl’s eyes. Someone trying to escape an ugly reality for a moment with a spun tale. And Jaskier was all too eager to oblige.

“A witcher?” the girl said. Almost as if tasting the word in her mouth. “And his bard?”

“Yes. A powerful person that protects us from monsters and beasts,” Jaskier said.

“What the difference between a monster and a beast,” the girl asked as she twisted her dirty hair around her finger.

“Hm~” Jaskier’s wit ran in front of his mouth. “Well a monster can be your neighbour’ Jaskier glanced at Geralt's back. “And a beast can be your friend.”

“You’re quite interesting for a bard,” The girl noted. Seemingly looking at Jaskier for the first time.

“If a bard isn’t interesting, then he hasn’t got a job,”

“No one in this town likes fun,” the girl sighed and kicked at the dirt. Jaskier would be surprised at how fast the girl changed subjects, but he knew children and their whims. Jaskier did fail to notice the mischief that now lit the girl’s eyes.

“We isn’t that a shame,” Jaskier tsked. Looking up, he saw that Geralt was already stepping past the pub. “Anyways it was a pleasure, but my witcher awaits,”

“Wait, Mr Bard.” The girl called out placing a small blue flower in Jaskier’s hand. “A gift. For you and  
witcher.” She giggled before running off.

“This flower is missing a petal,” Jaskier noted pocketing the tiny flower and followed Geralt as he passed the Pub. Jaskier jogged into line with Geralt, “I know the pub was tiny, Geralt. But I would think your eyes are good enough.”

“My eyes are fine.” Geralt said. “Good enough to see that beasts have been plaguing these people,” Geralt’s eyes turned towards the browned blood wooden shops and the distinct sword slashes as well. But most noticeable of all was the look of hope some townsfolk had when they saw the emblem around Geralt’s neck.

“A beast?” Jaskier asked. “Does that mean another song to fill my-our pockets,”

“It means that you are to go to the Inn.” Geralt tried.

“Likely,” Jaskier said humming a tune as he followed a safe distance behind. “As likely as you singing one of my songs,”

~_~_~

A few foglet bodies later, a bloodied Geralt and inspired Jaskier had collected the reward and made their way back to the Inn,

“When the night catches, and the fog draws near.” Jaskier sang “They are a glowing hunger, all men should fear.” Jaskier paused. “There was something off with the tune,” Jaskier thought aloud pulling out his papers. “What do you think, Geralt?”

“I’m to have a bath,” Geralt said as he wiped the congealing blood from his cheek. “Don’t cause trouble,  
“No need to curse,” Jaskier called as he twisted the lute on his frame. “You’re job has ended and mine is beginning,”

The moon rose, and Jaskier was barely a few songs in his set, when he saw that Geralt has returned freshly washed. With a nod, Jaskier took the opportunity to play one of his most popular songs. ‘Toss a coin to your-”

“Shut your stinking' mouth,” a drunken patron yelled earning hollars of agreeance from the rest of the pub. “Nobody’s got no coin to toss to you wretched bastards,”

“Sure brave now that Geralt has rid you all from the beast,” Jaskier said ducking out of the way of the loaf of bread tossed at him. Jaskier grabbed the loaf, knowing better than to be wasteful.

“ uncivilized lot,” Jaskier said under his tongue. “Empty between the ears and the legs,” Although that was still too loud.

“What did you say, boy.” a wretched look man snarled almost touching Jaskier nose to nose. Only the lute preventing contact. “Lookit you pretty boy, bet you haven’t held a sword...” The man licked his lips in a way that made a cold shiver run down Jaskier’s spine. “Well, maybe the witchers,” He said earning a laugh from behind him.

Jaskier would have rolled his eyes at this man’s attempted to intimidate him if Jaskier wasn’t busy holding his breath from the stench the man called breath. He had honestly smelt innards better, jaskier thought before holding back a gag.

“I would bet coin you don’t know who I am,” the man glanced behind him and several men pushed themselves off the bar stool to stand in solidarity against Jaskier.

“No,” Jaskier said with all too false courage. “And I would rather not know,”

“You-” The man raised his fist.

“Time for bed, Darling” Geralt drawled and grabbed Jaskier by the back of the bard’s shirt. Allowing the bard to miss the poorly aimed punch.

“Well then, I must wish you all a goodnight,” Jaskier said with a nod. The looming group of annoyed men dispersed. Muttering about finding the bard in a lone dark alley.

“You don’t think he really-” the disgusting man began to said before Jaskier was pulled out of earshot.

“Rude lot of them,” Jaskier noted as Geralt continued to tug Jaskier towards their room. Unfortunately the foglet’s couldn’t cushion their pockets enough for them to be confident in two rooms and enough change to fill their bellies in the morning.

‘Maybe if you kept your mouth shut, you wouldn’t need to worry, songbird.” Geralt said and shut the door to the room rather abruptly.

“Okay, Geralt.” Jaskier put his hands up in mock surrender. “Not a fan of pet names? I get it.” Jaskier tried to ignore the annoying tinge of pink that had snuck up onto his cheeks. He was unsure on how to go about the stone faced witcher teasing him in turn.

“What?”

“Darling, songbird, is it that you had a drink too many or are you going soft on me?”

A strange look crosses Geralt’s features. Like he has caught himself-which in reality he had. “Darling,” Geralt tried first. “, songbird, dandelion, buttercup, sweet lips, vixen. What have you done.”

“I really haven’t the faintest clue,” Jaskier shakes his head trying to contain a laugh when he realized that Geralt did not have any control in what he was saying. “But it seems as if you-”

“A curse,” Geralt said turned towards his armour.

“It must be.” Jaskier said stripping his shirt. “You hardly say my name let alone something as sweet as darling,”

Geralt paused. The air was thick as he gave Jaskier a long look. “What?” Jaskier asked eyeing the witcher.

Geralt bared a glance at Jaskier’s chest before asking in his usual roughness, “Did you speak to anyone?”

“why?”

“Ja-just my ray of sunshine,” Geralt said before adding a quite, “fuck,”

“Oh! that was almost my name”

Geralt took a looming step forward and pulled Jaskier in close. “It’s not the time to play games.” Geralt breathed in. “We have to fix this. Who knows what else is going to happen. Tell me who you spoke to.”

“Only a child,” Jaskier rested his hand on Geralt’s chest. Of course, only to get a bit of distance from the man, Jaskier thought to himself.

“Are you sure it was a child?” Geralt’s eyes narrowed.

“I know what children look like, darling” Jaskier said somewhat sharply-and momentarily forgetting the predicament he had gotten himself and Geralt into. He may not know too much about magic or creatures. But Jaskier knew he had some sense in his head.

‘Then show me where this child is,” Geralt roughly lett Jaskier go.

“In the morning, Jaskier said.

“Now.”

“What use is stalking through the night when the girl is likely holed up somewhere.”

“Fine.”

~_~_~

“Here we go,” Jaskier said pulling out the dried bread that had been lobed at his head the night before.

Roach neighed happily at the treat.

“Maybe one day I will get the chance to ride you,” Jaskier hummed as he pet Roach’s cheek.

Roach snorted in what Jaskier assumed was contempt.

“Let’s get on with it, dear” Geralt said stalking toward the center of the town.

Jaskier shook his head. “It doesn’t get old,”

Jaskier was promptly ignored as Geralt scanned the road for anything resembling. “What does it look like,”

“She” jaskier said. “Looks like that” Jaskier pointed towards the girl, who was in nearly the same spot as yesterday. “See wasn’t any issue. I just knew we would be able to find her quickly and promptly. You really shouldn’t worry so- and he’s not even listening,” jaskier sighed and followed closely behind Geralt to make sure he didn’t gut the poor girl.

“What did you do?” Geralt’s voice boomed through the street making everyone turn and the girl’s eyes go wide.

“I don’t know what you mean,” the girl stuttered out.

“Don't scare the poor thing,” Jaskier said stepping around the mountain of a man. Jaskier pulled out one of the small loaves of bread, which earned a disgruntled mumble from the witcher.

“It was a love spell” the girl admitted easily and bit into the warm bread.

“See stick and carrot Geralt,” Jaskier said all too pleased with himself.

“Oh gods,” Geralt said. And Jaskier swears he sees Geralt pale. “Those are a bastard to get rid of. How the hell did this streetrat get their hands on a curse like that,”

“Don’t swear in front of children,” Jaskier tsked. “Do you know what kind of magic you did, sweetheart?”

“Of course, I’m not a baby,” The girl rolled her eyes at the thought.

“Get on with it then,” the witcher said.

“No need to be sour,” the girl said with a mouthful of bread. “It’s to make you show your love.”

“Show?” jaskier prompted.

“More like say I guess,” the girl went on, “ My Pa' used to call my Ma’ all those types of names. So I found some magic that just brings it out in people. The lady told me it encouraged the person to say that kind of stuff”

“ encouraged?” Jaskier said not even thinking about looked over at Geralt and the implication that the word had.

“I’ve tried it on plenty of people but it has only worked a handful of times and even less notice,” the girl hummed. “How’d it work with you?”

“Quite apparent,” Jaskier said with a scratch to his neck.

“Shut it, sweetheart.” Geralt said turning away from the girl and seemingly alright with her answers.

“That’s it?” Jaskier frowned. “No big adventure to find the cure or hunting for ingredients, or looking for the one mage who knows the cure?”

“Just a speech hex.” Geralt breathed. “Should be wearing off soon,”

“That’s it?”

“It’s too much of a hassle to get cured.” Geralt said. “By the time we get a potion or mage to remove it, it will be out of my system”

“Well that’s fairly anticlimactic,” The bard signed. “Wouldn’t make for a very good song.

“You will find something else to sing about,” Geralt said. Jaskier swears he sees a vein near pop from his neck, “my love,”

**Author's Note:**

> i've been kinda obsessed with the witcher and I kinda spat this out. I want to make this a series called bonds and curses where we have some more fun with magic heh. I foreshadowed some of my ideas in this fic but let me know of any more magic mayhem we can start with these two.
> 
> ______________________________________________
> 
> my tumblr . https://tajn-and-the-witcher.tumblr.com/


End file.
